The Sage of Six Paths
by tiriko
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke lay dead in the battlefields. Now what is going to happen? This is more of a prediction as to what will happen in the 4th Ninja War.
1. Chapter 1

Kishi owns Naruto..

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A terror crept in the collective consciousness of the shinobi alliance in the battlefield. The heavy word was spreading slowly. Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, the two powerful shinobi who were leading the offense, were dead, at the hands of Madara. Every heart felt scared. Uzumaki Naruto, dead? They could not believe it. Their minds showed them a picture of a smiling boy with blue eyes, with the dream to become the Hokage.. He was always so full of spirit, always fighting hard, even when it felt hopeless to try.. How could he die? And Uchicha Sasuke, the only one of his age who could fight alongside Naruto, the boy with the powerful dark eyes.. It had felt like nothing could break his will..

Now.. what was going to happen? If even they had failed, what were we all going to do.. Die, for sure.. or get caught in the genjutsu of Madara.. There was no escape.. Such a pity..

"STOP IT EVERYONE!" This voice.. Yes, it was of Shikhamaru Nara, son of Shikaku, the one who was famed to have unrivalled skill in war tactics. But what could his son do now..?

"Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke may be dead. But THE WAR IS NOT OVER YET!" The voice cut through all their thoughts. New questions were rising. War is not over? Has someone powerful come, someone who could defeat Madara?

"Listen, Shinobi who protect the world! I said the war is not over yet. Though Naruto and Sasuke have died, do not forget that they have left something for us.. The will of fire.. It still burns deep within our hearts. We are shinobi who will endure, persist, and will not let evil possess our hearts.. even if we face the death itself.." A collective hush fell over the alliance.

"Shinobi are not those who flee away at the first sight of failure.. They are those who have the courage to overcome the fear, and fight for what they believe.. fight for what their hearts long for. Do you want to leave all the things your heart holds dear? Do you want to live in someone's dream, as his puppets? Do you not have a dream of your own?"

Eyes widened in awe. Tears filled some of the sensitive ones. Some expressions changed from hopeless to determined, some from determined to full of spirit.. Way to go, Shikhamaru Nara!

"Naruto and Sasuke died still holding on to their dreams.. They might have died, but they were not defeated. Because they have passed on their wills to us, who still stand. We won't let their efforts go wasted. They have done enough for us. Now, it is our turn. OUR DREAMS WILL NOT BE CRUSHED! WE WILL FIGHT! WE WILL ALL FIGHT.. AS LONG AS WE STAND!"

"YYEEEAAAHH! WE WILL FIGHT!" A roar rose up from the alliance. Spirits lifted. Every eye glinted as though a fire was burning inside them.

But how.. How can we defeat someone as strong as Madara?

"Do not worry. Everyone has a weakness. Even Madara. Madara is strong, but after all, he is just one person. We have on our sides millions of shinobi, the five Kages, even the first Hokage, who has already defeated Madara once. If we combine our knowledge, experience and strength, we have a chance against him. Now, if you all cooperate with me, and do as I say, we can end this nightmare. Now listen, comrades. I have a plan.." The voice of Shikhamaru turned determined, calculating.

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This was just a preview.. Tell me your opinions.. I will update it soon :)


	2. Chapter 2

Not so far away, in two different places, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke laid, unaware of anything that was happening around them. Naruto's face was frightfully calm, as if he no longer had a dream, whereas Sasuke's expression was more regretful, as if something important had been snatched away from him.

Sakura was still trying to pump Naruto's heart using her chakra. But her expression was more of resignation. Gaara had eyes only for the path ahead as they flew.

"Where are we going, Gaara?" Sakura asked, her hands trembling, while she looked around as the landscape passed by them.

"To the Senju shrine." Gaara replied, glancing back at Naruto.

"Senju shrine? Such a place exists? But, why are we going there at this time?"

"The Kyubi told me something before he was absorbed, and I want to try it out.. It is the last hope we have if we want to save Naruto." Gaara continued as Sakura listened, a glimmer of hope visible in her eyes.

"This shrine was built by none other than the Sage of Six Paths himself. There is something in there that can link the Sage's chakra to Naruto's body. If everything goes well, Naruto might be saved."

"The Sage of Six Path's chakra? That's unbelievable.. !" Sakura gasped.

"Yeah.. but Kurama also told me about a risk. If Naruto is not strong enough to receive his chakra, he cannot be saved, and the soul of the one performing the ritual will be taken as penance."

"You mean we will die if Naruto is not strong enough?" Sakura asked.

"No, only me. I will perform it, since I have more chakra." Gaara replied, devoid of any emotion. "But in the end, it is more a question of the strength of his belief than anything else. I hope he wants to come back to life, and not choose death as the better option." He said, as they both glanced again at Naruto's calm lifeless face.

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"Sasuke is dead!" Karin cried out, tears streaming her face as the shock of the truth shivered through her.

"What! It can't be!" Sugeitsu exclaimed.

"We have to go to him. Fast!" Juugo turned to Orochimaru, who had turned dead serious now, and was glancing back at the spiral faced man.

"Come with me." Orochimaru told them. "The enemy will have to wait."

They followed him to where Sasuke was lying face down. Karin went down to knees near Sasuke, and held his hand in hers, feeling for a pulse. "He.. He can't be.." She bit her lips.

Orochimaru stared a bit at Sasuke's body, as if trying to decide something. "Juugo.. carry him. We have to go somewhere." Juugo took Sasuke's body on his back, as ordered.

"Where are we going?" Sugeitsu asked.

"To the Nakana Shrine of the Uchiha." Orochimaru replied.

"There again? Why? Can't you do something to Sasuke, like make him come back from death or something? You are good at it, you know.." Sugeitsu pouted.

"Unlike me, Sasuke has only one body.. And he is dead. Sugeitsu, there are some things a mere human cannot do." Orochimaru observed.

"You mean to say we can't save him?" Karin asked.

"I didn't say that. There is a chance he might survive. But for that, there is a risk."

"Risk?" Juugo glanced at him.

"Yes. Whoever performs the ritual is going to die, if Sasuke's will to come back is not strong enough." A thin smile curved Orochimaru's lips.

"What! I won't do it" Sugeitsu gasped.

"I will do it." Karin said, wiping her tears, as Sugeitsu stared at her as if she was insane

"No, we may need your medical skills afterwards. Juugo, can you?" Orochimaru smiled.

Juugo looked surprised, then slowly, nodded.

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Pleaaseee revieww... :3


	3. Chapter 3

_In the depths of darkness, a tiny light of awareness flickered, as if a wind was trying caress it, gently pleading it not to fade away.. It had been shining for what felt like an eternity.. Existence is so painful.. If it wanted, it could finally leave behind this heavy sensation.. But it resisted, as if there was something just out of its reach.. a forgotten reason? It swayed and shivered.. Is It not easier to just let go of everything, to be one with that tempting nothingness? Why should it even try to resist? The light dimmed again, as if attempting to shrink into the void.. Suddenly, something called to it.. A voice? A feeling? There. Again. It was so far away.. But yet somehow familiar and comforting.. The light stopped swaying, as if listening intently. Something changed.. was it the pattern of darkness? It was embedded with tiny spots of light now. Everywhere they sparked, pricking painfully against the comforting darkness. The spots grew, along with the light. It was becoming unbearable now. No.. stop it.. Don't.. The darkness was chased away as the light became brighter and brighter. Please.. It hurts... But the light grew, devouring up the darkness, it grew until there was nothing but blinding white light everywhere. No.. Can't bear it.. Too much light.. But he had to hold on.. Something important would end if he failed. Can't let go yet.. But.. This light.. it hurts so much.. I can't take it anymore.. As if in reply, the intensity slowly diminished. The light was still there.. but the pain was gone.. Huge shapes were starting to take form all around.. Where is this place? Why was he here?_

"Finally.." A resonating voice declared.

Naruto squinted at the source of the sound. A man's shape faced him, covered in a glowing golden cloak. The reflection of light made it hard to see his features, except for his hair protruding above either sides of his head, like horns. Who was he? And where was this place? Naruto looked down at himself. He was standing, garbed in his usual orange and the headband. Is this a dream? If so, he needed to wake up.. the last he remembered, a war was going on.. and he was fighting.. Madara.. Oh no! Madara had extracted Kurama from him. What happened then? He must have fallen unconscious, since he could not remember anything after that.

Slowly, he was getting adjusted to the light. He could see that the man was very old.. like an ancient relic which actually talked. And he was being studied intently, as if his worth was being gauged. Maybe this was heaven.. and this man was God.. Deciding whether or not he should be sent to hell.. Naruto's face mirrored extreme thoughtfulness. He suddenly grinned nervously, ruffling the back of his hair with his hand. "Uh.. hm.. I haven't done anything that evil, you know.. Just killed some bad people here and there.. Used some perverted jutsu.. and.. uh.. " Naruto stammered stupidly at the figure who faced him.

The old man looked confused for a moment. Then he broke into a grin. He started laughing loudly, shaking with mirth. How impolite! But at least god wasn't as serious as he thought. "You are funny.." The man spoke, finally controlling himself. "Well, my child.." The ancient man turned serious, and started talking with a relieved sigh. "I was called God by some in the world you come from.. But that's not true. I'm just a human."

"Oh.. so you are not God?" Naruto's interest was gone.

"Well.. not in that sense. But a powerful human, you might say.. There are things I can do that a mere human cannot.." He glanced back with a mysterious smile at Naruto.

"What are all these huge shapes.. " Naruto was mumbling to himself, shading his eyes from the bright light and curiously looking around the place where they were standing.

"YOU IDIOT! PAY ATTENTION! I'M SAYING SOMETHING IMPORTANT HERE!" The old man shouted at the brat who was more interested in the place than him.

"Oops.. Sorry gramps. But aren't those shapes... the bijuu?" Naruto asked, pointing to the nearest one, who had a tail up and wagging. That was strange.. They all seemed a little young in face..

"Hn." The man pouted, clearly disappointed that he was not the center of attention. "He is younger than I expected, though.. " The man mumbled to himself. "And looks even more stupid than Kaguro. Did something go wrong somewhere?"

"DID YOU CALL ME STUPID JUST NOW?" Naruto pointed at the old man and yelled.

"Eh? Me? I would not say something like that out loud, ye know.." The man chuckled nervously.

"SO YOU DID SAY THAT!" Naruto pointed again.

"Ah.." The man waved his hand. "Now, Now.. we shouldn't fight over such a small thing at this time, you know.. The world is at peril."

"Yeah. You are right. I should go and defeat Madara." Naruto said, and turned to leave, as if that was possible.

Suddenly, a blinding bright light appeared, blocking his path. Naruto jumped back in surprise, shielding his eyes. "What the-"

The old man's lips parted in curiosity. "Two?" He mouthed. "Things are very different from what I expected.."

The blinding light dimmed and a figure appeared out of it. A figure very familiar to Naruto.. He was dressed in a black cloak that covered almost from neck to toe, though the projection of the hilt of a sword was visible at his side. His eyes were pitch black, taking in everything they saw.

"Sasuke.." Naruto gasped.

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Uhh.. I know it was short.. but I need some time to decide certain things.. So till then, let me know your opinions. And thanks for the earlier suggestions :) I have learnt certain things ;)


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Sasuke.." Naruto's blue eyes went wide at his friend's abrupt appearance. "You.. You too...?"

"...?" Sasuke said, confused, as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light and finally focused on Naruto. "Where is this place? I thought I had died.."

"Yup.. You died." Naruto told him, a grin slowly spreading on his face, replacing the surprise. Sasuke looked even more confused. Then slowly he narrowed his eyes at the grinning Naruto.

"You find it funny, eh?" A twitch appeared on his forehead. "Bah. Damn idiot. Talking about dying, I thought you could never die, with the Kyuubi inside you and all.. or.. did he extract Kyuubi from you?" Sasuke looked at him curiously.

"Yeah.." Naruto said, his grin disappearing, and clenching his fists. "That Madara.. I'm gonna kick his ass.." He mumbled, then glanced back at Sasuke. "But.. how did you die?" He asked.

"I was.. stabbed by Madara.." Sasuke replied, studying an invisible wall with a light red hue rising on his pale cheeks.

"Huh?"The grin reappeared on Naruto's face. "You got stabbed?" Suddenly he burst into laughter, pointing at a very annoyed Sasuke. "And to think I considered you as invincible! I missed it! Missed it!" He was on the floor now, beating the out-worldly white stone with his hand.

"Shut up bastard! Or you will die once again." Sasuke hissed. "More importantly, this place.." Sasuke muttered, looking around for the first time. "Where are we?" Sasuke's eyes finally locked on the figure of an old man studying them both from a distance with an unreadable expression on his face. The man was wearing a cloak covered in a chakra that radiated divinely. And his eyes.. Sasuke could tell that those black eyes were powerful..much more powerful than Sasuke's own... in that matter, may be more than even Madara's.. And with the comma symbols that were visible on the neck of his cloak.. Could it be..

"The Sage of Six Paths?" Sasuke asked, as if unable to believe his own words. Naruto finally controlled his mirth, and still chuckling, turned to face the old man. "Eh- You know him Sasuke?" Naruto frowned at his friend.

"Ah! I thought for a moment the world had forgotten me.." The man sighed, the unreadable look turning to an expression of comic relief.

"What is the meaning of this all? Tell me what this place is first." Sasuke ordered the ancient man.

"They get ruder with generations, huh?" The man muttered to himself. Turning to Sasuke, he answered, "This place.. ? You can say it is my little world that floats between life and death.. You were about to die. But something caused the soul to be trapped here. Hmm.. It seems the world doesn't want you to die yet."

"..." Sasuke said.

"Hey - but Old Man! Why are you here? Did you die too?" Naruto asked the Sage, not understanding.

"I died ages ago, my child.. And I told you.. I created this little place." The Sage proudly outstretched his hands.

"Wow! You are awesome gramps!" A look of admiration shone in Naruto's eyes.

"Does this mean we can go back to life yet?" Sasuke questioned.

"That.. depends on me. If I feel like it, I can send you back. If you want to, that is." The sage answered.

"Hey! That's cool! Then let us go back gramps! We want to kick Madara's ass." Naruto pleaded enthusiastically.

"Well.. But I'm still not sure if sending you back is worth it. And there is one more condition.. Only one of you can go back." The sage replied with a grim face.

"Wh-what?!" Naruto gasped, staring at the older man. "Only one of us?" Sasuke asked, clenching his fists.

Both of them glanced at each other with resentment.

"Yes. And I will decide who that person is." The Sage declared.


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto felt as if a rock had been dropped into his heart. Only one could go back? That was... just not fair.

"Why not let us both go?" Naruto asked, bitterness in his voice. "You know, this Madara is too strong.. Honestly, I don't think we can win against him if it is just one of us.. And .. And..."

Naruto glanced back at Sasuke, who had his eyes averted from him now, and was clenching his fists. Sasuke's words still rang in his head.. _"I will become the Hokage.."_ Sasuke had ended up with the same dream as him.. Though for entirely different reasons.. And Naruto could understand why he chose that path. Itachi.. The sacrifices he made.. Sasuke could not let them all go waste. Even when he hated Konoha, he loved his brother even more.. It must have pained a lot to make that choice.. to protect something you wanted to destroy.. Sasuke was sacrificing his own feelings for the sake of the bond he treasured the most. Naruto was happy he had chosen that path. And he would support his friend in that decision, even if it meant giving up his own dream, or his own life.

"And.. I don't want to go back if it means he will die." Naruto said, watching Sasuke's expression turn into astonishment, as if he couldn't believe what he heard just now. He turned to stare at Naruto, as if searching for any sign that could betray those sincere words. His eyes softened into a painful dilemma.

"Naruto.." Sasuke said softly. "You don't have to.."

The Sage was watching them intently. Naruto was not as stupid as he looked, he mused. The way he said those words.. It had a conviction to it.. They were not just uttered carelessly. This child.. his feelings were genuine, and the words he said were merely an indication of the purity of his heart. In contrast.. He glanced at the dark haired boy, whose anger had subsided now. Interesting.. His dark eyes were powerful, the power obtained from experiencing the loss of loved ones.. At first sight, you could mistake the intensity in them for evil.. But, if you looked deep inside them, there lurked a light, even brighter than love.. The light of having defeated hatred..

"I understand.." The Sage spoke up. "But, even if I wished to send you both back, I cannot... Because, you see, when I created this world, I had in mind only of one person.. And therefore I do not have enough chakra in me to do it twice.."

They both stared at him in silence.

"Then.. How do you intend to choose that one among us?" Sasuke asked.

"I will tell you after I know you both better."

They watched uneasily as he walked over to them. First, he went over to Naruto and placed a hand gently on his head. Naruto was startled at first, but he felt a strange sort of calmness. Then, bits of memories started playing in his head in a flash. Memories he did not even know he had.. He closed his eyes unknowingly.

_He lay on the ground, terrified, as his mother and father stood before him, smiling, but with tears flowing down their cheeks.. Blood was oozing out from their stomachs.._

_He was in the middle of a crowd, tears streaming down his face, confused and angry, as an unbearable pain seared through his chest. They were throwing things at him and watching him, with hatred almost dripping out of their eyes.._

_Iruka sensei was handing him the forehead protector in the forest.. he had graduated.. he had never felt this happy.._

_Kakashi sensei turned, smiling, telling them not to worry.. he would die to protect their lives.._

_Sasuke was standing in front of him, needles stuck all over his body, and drops of blood forming puddles around him.. _

_He was lying on the ground, inching towards Gaara, whose eyes were wide with confusion.._

_Their meeting with Itachi and Kisame.. _

_Sakura running to stop their fight on the hospital roof.. _

_His promise to __bring back Sasuke.. _

_The Valley of the End.. _

_The news of Jiraiya's death.._

_Pein.._

By now, the incidences were flashing in his mind so fast that he himself could not catch up with them. His mind was numb from overwhelming feelings.. It was as if he had gone through his whole life once again.. He still had his eyes closed, and his cheeks were glistening with tears that refused to stop. His hands were trembling, as if the memories were threatening to break him.

Sasuke watched him intently, his eyes narrowed. After a while the trembling had lessened, and the Sage slowly took his hand away. His face displayed no emotion and was calmly watching the blond boy, who had now fallen to the floor, clutching his head and trembling. Then he spoke, his voice grave. "You did well, my child.." Naruto did not seem to hear.

He then turned to Sasuke, who watched him suspiciously. "What did you do to him?" Sasuke asked.

"Don't worry. He will be alright. If nothing else, he will be stronger than before.." He gingerly placed his hand on Sasuke's head.

Sasuke felt nothing at first. Then it started. Slowly at first..

_The memories of his family.. his mother.. father.. Itachi.. His younger days as a kid.. days at cademy.._

The images flashed past at a faster pace now.

_That night when he returned from academy.. his parents' bodies lying in a pool of blood.. Itachi's behaviour.. he was scared.._

_Hatred.. He trembled at its intensity.. The only thing he felt back then.. burning every other feeling to ashes.. revenge.._

Faster.

_Team 7.. Wanting to get stronger.. Orochimaru.. Itachi.. Tobi.. The truth.._

Hatred pulsed through him with every incident.. gnawing at every bit of his spirit..

_He just wanted to destroy everything.. Hatred.. that was all he felt.._

Just one memory stood out, pale in that eternal darkness.. _"I will love you forever.." _He did not care about anything else.. Those words was everything he had now.. Every decision he made, every action he did.. took its form from that little sentence.. Words that were more important than the world for him.

Naruto had been brought back from his own daze by a scream from Sasuke. He looked up to see his friend going through the same agony. As he watched, the Sage took away his hand and Sasuke crumpled to the floor. Tears were flowing down his pale cheeks as he sobbed like a little child. He had never seen his friend cry like that before. Without thinking, he put a hand on his shoulders to comfort him. For the first time, he could think of nothing to say.

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I forgot to put the author's note in the previous chapter. Thanks for the reviews.. They keep me writing.. :) And Sasuke is my favorite character.. So forgive me if I support him a little. xD


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